The four-year project aims is to expand FSC certification at the landscape level in Chile for a wide range of ecosystem services

Indonesia

Indonesia is one of the biggest timber producer countries in Southeast Asia, linked into thousands of suppliers and buyers worldwide

Nepal

On top of a wide experience in group certification for forest management, Nepal now explores the potential of enhancing the economic and environmental benefits of forest certification by incorporating additional Ecosystem Services (ES)

Vietnam

The Government of Vietnam is testing various forest payment for ecosystem services mechanisms, as part of an effort to develop sustainable and participatory forest management strategies — both key requirements for FSC Certification

Expanding FSC certification to Ecosystem Services

The new landmark project “ForCES – Forest Certification for Ecosystem Services” looks at what changes to the FSC® system are needed over a four year period, 2011-2015, for FSC to become a global leader in the certification of ecosystem services.

FSC and partner organizations research, analyze, and field test innovative ways how to evaluate and reward the provision of critical ecosystem services, such as biodiversity conservation, watershed protection and carbon storage/sequestration. Pilot tests are carried out at ten forest sites under different socio-political and environmental conditions.

Essential to this is the development of suitable compliance indicators both at the national and international level. In addition, newly developed impact indicators are used to demonstrate positive outcomes and the achievement of social and environmental objectives.

By the end of 2015, FSC will have in place an enhanced global system for forest managers which targets key ecosystem services with present or future market potential and we will have successfully certified demonstration sites for ecosystem services.

The positive impacts and added value of FSC certification will also be demonstrated to forest operations and local communities.